You've Still Got Me
by MarriedToWeasley
Summary: After the trio visits Malfoy Manor in DH, Ron comforts Hermione when they spend the night in Shell Cottage. Friendship plus a little bit more. One shot! R/Hr


Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or the wonderful world of Harry Potter

There were exactly one hundred and seven seashells distributed about the first-floor guest room of Bill and Fleur's cottage. Ron knew this because he had counted them at least a million times as he lay awake in his bed with sleep cruelly evading him.

Harry slept soundly in the bed next to his, but Ron couldn't seem to do the same. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw images of Hermione writhing in pain, tears streaming down her face, as Bellatrix tortured her. He knew that she was safe now, but he was still shaken from the horrible events that occurred earlier that day. She had been in danger and he hadn't made it there in time to save her from harm; he was almost too late to save her from worse. Having come that close to losing her was driving him mad.

Ron decided that he might put his mind at ease if he just checked on her; perhaps seeing her safe and sound would dispel the horrible visions in his head. He swept his legs over the side of the bed and made his way for the door as quickly and quietly as possible, when suddenly a voice from the darkness mumbled sleepily:

"Where you going?"

Damn. He had almost made it. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't want to tell Harry the truth, so he tried the most believable lie he could think of,

"Hungry… midnight snack."

Harry accepted this answer without a second thought and rolled back over. Ron inwardly breathed a sigh of relief and commended himself for thinking on his toes. _Handsome and clever, do they come any better?_ He wondered.

As he closed the door behind him, he was surprised to find that he wasn't the only one awake at this late hour. Ginny was sitting at the kitchen table with Luna.

"Evening, Ron." Luna sighed. Her voice was light and airy as usual, but the dark circles under her eyes betrayed the stress she was suffering inside.

"Evening… what are you two doing up?" he asked

"Couldn't sleep." Ginny replied, and she didn't need to offer any further explanation; they were all experiencing the same unrest. They all understood.

"Right. Well I was just headed up to the washroom."

Luna nodded her head, but continued to stare blankly into the depths of her mug. Ginny, however, gave Ron a look that suggested she knew what he was actually up to. Sometimes, he thought that she might be too smart for her own good… or his at least_._ She said nothing more, sprinkled some sugar in her tea, and shifted her attention to the spoon that began magically stirring it. He silently thanked her for not prying, and made his way up the stairs.

When he reached the landing, he quietly opened the bedroom door. His heart instantly dropped with fear as he saw the empty bed in front of him, but he quickly realized that it was the one which belonged to Ginny, and Hermione lay in the next bed over. She was curled up like a child, but the moonlight streaming through the window cast shadows on her tired face that made her look much older than her seventeen years.

He wanted nothing more than to sink into bed with her and wrap his arms around her so that nothing could hurt her. But he knew that he couldn't. He could see that she was safe, for now, and that was all that really mattered to him at the moment.

Before forcing himself to leave, he bent down and gently kissed her forehead.

"Sleep well, Hermione."

As he made his way to the foot of the stairs again, he saw that Ginny was alone now. He didn't even need to meet her gaze to know that she was staring at him with that knowing look in her eye. He knew that she had it figured out, but he also knew that this was a dark time for all of them, and childish teasing was below them now.

"How's your girlfriend doing, hmm?"

…Or so he thought. He couldn't help but grin at her, and they began to laugh, and then they couldn't stop. It had been so long since they had laughed and it felt so good.

"What's so funny?" came a voice from behind him.

"Erm, Hermione, nothing, we were just…" Ron stammered as his ears began to go red.

"-I was just telling a joke about wrack spurts that Luna shared with me before. Very funny, really. Anyway, I've finished my tea so I'll be off to bed now." Ginny said before slipping past them and up the staircase.

Ron was still trying to process how Ginny had managed to make such a brilliant save when suddenly, Hermione threw her arms around him and buried her head in his chest.

"Thank you. For earlier today, I never got to properly say thank you. I heard you calling me from the cellar, I thought I was going to lose it completely while she was… but then I heard you, and I remembered that I had something to hold on for." Hermione hurriedly spoke into his pajama shirt.

At first, Ron was surprised by her sudden outburst. He was expecting her to pull away from the embrace eventually, but when he realized she wasn't going anywhere, he tightened his hold around her and rested his head on top of hers.

The first response that popped into his head was 'You're welcome', but there is something about the night that makes people feel especially uninhibited, and so he decided to tell her the truth instead.

"I thought I was going to lose you… it scared me half to death."

This new territory was strange for them, but it was strange in that it was not strange at all. It should have felt unfamiliar, but it was like the most natural thing either of them had ever done; they just fit each other. They stood there and silently held one another in the middle of the night and Ron could have sworn that they could stay that way forever and it would be enough.

Finally, she looked up at him and said,

"Don't worry, you've still got me." With that, she kissed his cheek and walked towards the stairs.

Just as she placed her hand on the banister, she turned and said "Goodnight, Ron."

"Night, Hermione." He replied.

He went back to his room and collapsed into bed, exhausted from the emotional and physical overload the long day had brought. And after all of the bad things that had happened, he still fell asleep with a smile on his face.

She was safe. And she was his.

Hope you enjoyed it :) feel free to read and review xx


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